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Desmond Simmons has emerged as the Huskies' Energizer Bunny off the bench.
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Dec. 20, 2011
• Romar Tuesday Press Conference (Audio)
• Complete Weekly Release 
SEATTLE - Washington (5-5) returns to the court for the first time since losing at home 92-73 to South Dakota State on Sunday. That loss snapped a UW record 32-game home winning streak vs. non-conference opponents and moved the Huskies to .500 for the season. Washington will face Cal-State Northridge (3-6) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. (No TV). The game can be heard on KJR 950 AM and 102.9 FM in Seattle and on the Washington IMG College Sports throughout the Pacific Northwest with Bob Rondeau providing play-by-play and Jason Hamilton supplying color analysis. Fans can also follow the game on the GoHuskies.com live chat by Gregg Bell.
Washington-Cal St. Northridge History
The Huskies are 4-0 against the Matadors. Last time Cal State Northridge came to Hec Edmundson Pavilion, the Huskies edged them out 88-76 on Dec. 6, 2009. Isaiah Thomas had 21 and Quincy Pondexter 20 that night. The only current Huskies that played were Abdul Gaddy (11 pts) and Darnell Gant (1 pt, 5 rebs). Two players from the Matadors, Michael Lizarraga and Vinnie McGhee, played in that game. Lizarraga scored 8 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, while McGhee came off the bench and scored 14 points. Husky Coach Lorenzo Romar is 3-2 all-time against Cal-State Northridge, with all three wins coming as the UW coach and both losses coming while at Pepperdine.
Scouting Cal State Northridge
Cal State Northridge is currently 3-6 and plays in the Big West Conference. Freshman guard Stephan Hicks leads the Matadors averaging 17.6 ppg and 8.7 rebounds. Josh Greene adds 10.6 per game and a team-best 3.5 assists per game. A total of 11 player average at least 10 minutes per game. CSUN comes into Thursday's game winners of its last two after winning at Pepperdine, 73-70, on Dec. 10 and 99-58 vs. Pacifica on Dec. 17. Head coach Bobby Braswell is in his 16th season at CSUN coming from Oregon as an assistant coach. Braswell earned Big West Coach of the Year honors twice.
Wroten Among Nation's Best Freshmen
Tony Wroten is making a huge mark in college basketball despite being just 10 games into his career. He currently ranks third in the conference with 16.4 points per game and leads all conference freshmen in scoring and steals (1.4 spg). His scoring average is also the sixth best among all college freshmen (thru Monday's action) and tops among freshmen from traditional power conferences. Here's a look at the top scoring freshmen from around the nation:
Nation's Top Freshmen Scorers (Thru Monday)
| Rk | Name, School | PPG | Overall Rank |
| 1. | Kyle Vinales, Central Conn. St. | 20.6 | 20th |
| 2. | Juan'ya Green, Niagra | 19.9 | 25th |
| 3. | Justin Edwards, Maine | 17.9 | 67th |
| 4. | Stephan Hicks, CS-Northridge | 17.6 | 77th |
| 5. | Trey Freeman, Campbell | 17.0 | 90th |
| 6. | Tony Wroten, Washington | 16.4 | 117th |
Wroten Reaching Record Heights
Tony Wroten tied a Husky freshman record with 27 points vs. UC Santa Barbara to tie what is believed to be the Huskies freshman single-game scoring record. Four other Huskies -- Isaiah Thomas (2008), Mark Sanford (1995), UW assistant coach Paul Fortier (1983) and Andra Griffin (1978) -- tallied. Wroten has scored 20+ in three games and is the first Husky freshman since Spencer Hawes tallied 20+ in four straight games in 2008. At his current pace, Wroten could threaten the UW freshman record for points in a season. Isaiah Thomas scored 541 in 35 games as a freshman and averaged 15.5 ppg. Another record Wroten may assault is free throw attempts by a freshman. Thomas shot 202 for an average of 5.9 attempts per game. Wroten has shot 72 so far this season for 7.2 attempts per game. The all-time record regardless of class is 242 by Louie Nelson in 1973.
Gaddy, Wroten Cousy Award Nominees
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts announced Dec. 19 the candidates for the 2012 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, and Huskies Abdul Gaddy and Tony Wroten were among the more than 60 candidates nominated. The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in college basketball. This original list of candidates will be narrowed down to a final 20 by Jan. 1, final 10 by Feb. 1, and a final five by March 1. A premier Selection Committee will be appointed by the Hall of Fame to review the final five candidates in contention for the nation's top collegiate point guard award. The winner of the 2012 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at the Hall of Fame's Class Announcement on Championship Monday in New Orleans as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.
Huskies' Last Time Out
AP - Nate Wolters scored 34 points as South Dakota State broke Washington's 32-game nonconference home winning streak with a 92-73 victory Sunday. Griffan Callahan added 16 points and Chad White scored 12 for the Jackrabbits (10-4). Tony Wroten led Washington (5-5) with 23 points. Darnell Gant added 15 and C.J. Wilcox scored 12 points for the Huskies. Washington's last nonconference home loss was to Valparaiso in the College Basketball Invitational on March 14, 2008. Its last regular-season nonconference home loss was Dec. 8, 2007, to Pittsburgh. Washington used a 15-8 run to open the second half, cutting South Dakota State's lead to 59-48 with 13:30 remaining. But, the Jackrabbits used numerous trips to the free-throw line to broaden the lead. Brayden Carlson made two free throws with 9:15 left to expand South Dakota State's lead to 70-52.
